


The Reunion

by Poltergeist897



Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Awkward Conversations, Awkward Flirting, Beach Holidays, Beach Sex, Dom/sub Undertones, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff and Smut, Foster Care, M/M, Romantic Comedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:28:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26390407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Poltergeist897/pseuds/Poltergeist897
Summary: V seriously regretted his decision of accepting Kyrie’s invite to this reunion... especially now that he knew Nero was here.
Relationships: Nero/V (Devil May Cry)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 62





	1. Chapter 1

_ “.... would love to see you again! X”  _

V read the message again. 

And again.

....and again.

It’s been years, maybe even decades, since he’d seen his old friends from the children’s care home. 

Years. 

To say he was a little taken aback by this sudden, out of the blue, message was an understatement. As soon as the notification appeared on his phone screen he had felt his heart stop dead. 

A message request from his childhood friend, Kyrie, was the last thing he had expected to get today. 

Kyrie and him had once been inseparable as children; they’d grown up together in the same children’s care home. Kyrie had arrived around the same time he had and very quickly the two of them formed a close bond. For a few years the two had been attached at the hip, often sneaking off together and causing trouble which would always lead them to being placed in timeout. It wasn’t at all surprising to V that Credo, Kyrie’s older and more ‘by the book’ brother, disapproved of their friendship. On many occasions, the older boy would seek out his sister and drag her away from their trouble making antics, (despite her protests) to do more ‘sensible’ activities. 

V always respected Credos persistence to try and lead his sister down a more righteous path but no matter how hard he tried, Kyrie would  always escape and come running back to play with her best friend. 

Sadly, after only a few years of being partners in crime, Kyrie and her brother were fostered and, although Kyrie always called and visited, they lost touch after V was adopted. V had always regretted the fact that he’d not asked Kyrie for her foster parents phone number, so that he could call her rather than wait for the later to call him, but it had just never occurred to him to do so. After he’d been adopted all contact he’d had with his best friend had vanished. 

No more calls and no more visits. 

Though, thinking about it more rationally, V suspected that even if he had her phone number and she’d had his, they still would have lost touch. His adopted parents, who although looked like the perfect, substantial, providing guardians on paper, were actually extremely strict and authoritative with very little tolerance for delinquency. 

Urizen, his adoptive father and one of the top attorneys in Red Grave City, and his wife/ adoptive mother, Malphas, were insistent that all their adopted children had the finest education and the most pre-eminent opportunities anyone could ever be blessed with. The majority of V’s childhood was spent following an acute regime of study and physical exercise with little to no room for any non-essentials such as ‘fun’. 

V was one of six adopted children, three boys and three girls, and was the second to youngest child. Every single one of his adopted siblings had successful careers; be it his older sister, the miracle worker surgeon, or his younger brother, the prodigy ballet dancer. In fact, V was arguably considered the failure of the family. Sure, he had been a top student at all schools he’d attended, had earned a PhD and was now an English professor, teaching at one of the worlds leading universities (a job he’d practically walked into as soon as he’d graduated), yet he couldn’t ignore the snide comments of comparison his parents would often make between his achievements and that of his siblings. 

_“Your brother was asked to study English as well, though he decided that a career in law was much more worthwhile.”_

_“You got 96% on your maths paper? When your sister was your age she always scored 100%.”_

He didn’t have much of a relationship with any of his adopted siblings, he hardly even considered them family. He had no illfeelings towards them and he certainly didn’t blame them for the fact that their adoptive parents viewed their successes superior to his own. He knew they had it just as difficult as he did growing up and if anything his parents lack of involvement and interest in his life actually benefited him as any decisions he made (including a very controversial choice to tattoo the entirety of his torso) was met with very unenthusiastic responses. 

Overall, V knew deep down that a friendship with Kyrie would have been doomed no matter the outcome. Even if she hadn’t been fostered and he hadn’t been adopted, it’s likely they would have grown apart as all friends often do. Besides, Kyrie looked very different now to how she did at nine years old, judging from her profile picture. As a child she’d been more tomboyish; never once wearing dresses and always opting for dungarees, jeans or shorts. She always wore sweatshirts and hoodies along with T-shirts often bought in the boys clothing section. Her beautiful red hair used to only reach her chin and it always had bits of twig and leaf entangled in it, along with mud and grass stains smeared across her cheeks and knees. She was a permanent mess due to her love of being outdoors even when the weather was miserable. Climbing trees was one of her favourite activities (V couldn’t say the same after a fateful incident in which he slipped from a high branch and landed painfully on his hip, an injury that would haunt him for the rest of his life) and exploring the “forbidden forest” (aka the care homes back yard) was what led her to getting at least four baths a day. 

But V could hardly believe that the girl he was looking at now had once been that filthy little explorer, who wore boys clothes and played in the mud. 

Kyrie’s hair was longer now, just reaching past her shoulders with a beautiful, pristine shine you only ever get after visiting the hairdressers. Her skin was flawless with not a spec of dirt to be seen on it, and her clothing choice was feminine and soft (a simple cream blouse and rose pink skirt). V even detected a subtle amount of makeup and a manicure (things he remembered her stating firmly as a child that she despised). 

Physically, this Kyrie was very different from the one he remembered as a child, and yet, the tone of her message gave him such a rush of nostalgia he knew instantly that this was his childhood friend. 

She’d always been a caring, bright and positive individual with a heart of gold and a personality equivalent to the sun, and this message reflected that perfectly. 

And yet, V couldn’t bring himself to answer.

Perhaps he was still experiencing shock? It was a rather out of the blue message, and admittedly V was ashamed to say that he’d nearly completely forgotten about his childhood friend, to the point where the first thing he’d thought upon seeing the name of the requested sender had been:  “ _Who?_ ” .

V knew that most would probably jump upon the opportunity to rekindle old friendships and yet he hesitated. 

Maybe it was the due to the fact that Kyrie was inviting him to a reunion rather than just a quick get together, where they’d go and get coffee and catch up on all the things they’d done since their time at the care home. However, this wasn’t just a small meet up; Kyrie had invited him and a few others, from their time at the care home, to come and spend a couple of days at her beach house in Fortuna (a  “ _care home kids reunion_ ”  as she had called it). 

At first, V wondered if he could use work as an excuse not to go:  “ _I can’t get the time off work, really sorry!_ ” . That’s what he could say... Although, V had already checked and this wouldn’t be an issue as the reunion would be during holiday season and he was sure someone (especially Credo if he was still as sharp as he was during childhood) would work out he was lying. Of course he could make up the excuse that he was marking work or preparing for the new year but those were rather...weak. No, if he was going to decline he’d need a much stronger reason, like a  “ _family issue_ ” or an  “ _operation exactly on that day that just can’t be moved because it’s already been changed twice and it can’t be left, not that it’s anything too serious but it’s serious enough that I just can’t leave it any longer!_ ” ... ok, perhaps not that “strong” of a reason. 

No. 

No this was ridiculous!

This was his childhood friend asking to see him! He shouldn’t be trying to get out of this! He should be jumping on the opportunity to spend a nice weekend at the beach, catching up and sharing a few drinks with some old friends-

Travel.

Yes, travelling that could be his excuse to not go!

_“The travel costs are too expensive.”_

_“Trains have been cancelled.”_

_“Cars broken down.”_

_“I haven’t got a passport.”_

No!

Enough! He should just go! Go and enjoy a lovely weekend! There was no reason for him to be nervous or feel utter dread about socialising with a bunch of people he barely knows whilst conversing with them about his very dull, boring and rather lonely life in which he spends the majority of his time out of work living on microwave meals, watching quiz shows and reading- 

“ _I’ll be there, send me the details_ _._ ” He typed before pressing send. 

“What have I done...” V sighed, already deeply regretting his decision. 


	2. Chapter 2

“-Keep the change...” V muttered, haphazardly passing the money to the taxi driver, whilst he wrestled his suitcase out of the cars boot. 

He vaguely acknowledged the drivers thanks as he stumbled onto the pavement, rummaging around inside his shoulder bag in attempt to find his phone and double check that he had the right address. 

Yep. 

This was definitely it. 

The house in question was quite literally on the beach; it looked as though someone had just plonked a house right there on the sand. 

V couldn’t deny it was a beautiful place; the house was situated on a quieter part of the beach that wasn’t as popular or busy with the public. The sand was a light gold colour and soft to the touch whilst the sea was a rich blue and looked oh so inviting, plus there was a good amount of shade provided by palm trees that V was certain he could situate himself under to catch up on some reading. 

However, even though V was sure this would be anyone’s dream home, he couldn’t help but wonder about the practicality of the place. It was so close to the sea, it could easily flood in storm season. Wait, when was storm season? And what about erosion? Does their insurance cover the damages? What does their mortgage look like-?

“V!”

V was ripped from his thoughts just in time to catch a tall red headed girl who came flying towards him. He nearly lost his footing though managed to steady himself just in time as he was pulled into a crushing hug. 

“I’m so glad you came!” Screeched a high pitched voice that took V straight back to his childhood. “Oh my gosh it’s been so long, look how big you’ve gotten!”

Tearing himself away, V finally got to take in the sight of his old friend. Kyrie was, well to put it frankly, beautiful.

She wasn’t what you’d call a conventional beauty that you’d see walking the runway of Victoria secret or on the front covers of magazines, but she was angelic. In fact she looked better in person than she did in her profile picture. She had come a long way from the little girl he’d grown up with and V couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride at the fact she was now a woman. 

“Kyrie?” He choked, still very much in disbelief at how much his childhood friend had grown up. 

Kyrie’s eyes widened slightly in a look of excitement. “Gosh! Your voice! So deep!” She acknowledged with a giggle, hooking their arms together as she began to lead him towards the house. “How long has it been?”

“Fifteen years-“

“Fifteen years! Gosh! Too long!” She laughed. “Have you been up to much-? Oh! What am I saying! It’s been fifteen years, of course you have!”

V could only manage a small laugh, the situation and Kyrie’s insistence of being so close causing a mini alarm to go off in his head. “So-“ he croaked. “-is this your house...?”

“Hm? Oh no! I couldn’t afford a place like this on my salary!” Kyrie stated with an overly animated eye roll. “You remember Credo? My brother? This is one of his  many  holiday homes! He’s letting me borrow it for this weekend!” 

V nodded silently in acknowledgment as he was led into the house and- oh... oh wow this place is nice.... 

“You- you said one of his holiday homes?” He choked.

“Yeah! He’s a-  _well_ , I’m not really sure what he does- but he wears suits a lot and talks a lot of business so he’s a rich businessman!” Kyrie shrugged, taking V’s case from him and ushering him to follow her upstairs. “He might be dropping by sometime this weekend!”

“Right...” V murmured, taking his time to follow her up the stairs so that he could fully absorb and admire the interior. “And what do you do?”

“I’m a nurse!” Kyrie replied, her tone of voice giving away the pride she felt when saying so. “I work down at the local hospital! It’s hard work but so rewarding! Plus you know what I’m like! I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty!” She stated with a wink, opening one of the doors to a wide, spacious bedroom with a view looking out over the sea. 

“And this is you!” Kyrie exclaimed, placing V’s suitcase on the floor before moving to open the window. “It gets quite hot and stuffy in here so feel free to crack open the window whenever you feel like it! Though we’ve got air-con so you should be alright!”

V only hummed in response as he continued to stare in awe at the luxurious room. It’s not like he was any stranger to luxury, his parents were rich and he’d had the privilege of growing up in a large house with a good quality education. Though in comparison to his parents house, which was dark and old fashioned, this place was far more modern. It was minimalistic, white and absolutely immaculate. Yes, it had no personality to it and looked more akin to a hotel room than a home, but it was definitely an improvement from his small city apartment that he shared with his overly clingy cat, Shadow, aggressive cockatoo, Griffon, and a rather tedious goldfish, Nightmare. 

“Is it ok for you?” 

Snapping out his daze V offered Kyrie a kind smile before reassuring her that everything was perfect. 

“Oh, I’m so glad! Sorry, I’m just a little nervous!” She giggled, offering V an apologetic look as she twirled a strand of red hair around her finger. “I haven’t even asked you how you are! Or if you wanted a drink! I’ll go get you something now-“

“Oh no I’m fine!” V insisted quickly. “And I’m well so...”

“What are you doing now? You always wanted to be a power ranger as a child, the black one specifically!” Kyrie noted, leading them back down the stairs whilst explaining that the others were out in the back-room ( _yes_ , a  _back_ -room!). 

“Haha, no I’m afraid I didn’t make it as a power ranger...” V joked. “I’m an English professor actually-“

“English professor?! But you hate reading!” Kyrie gasped in shock. 

“I...don’t hate reading?” V responded in confusion. “In fact I spend most of my free time reading-“

“As a child you did nothing but moan about how much you hated reading and writing!” She stated firmly and it was then that V understood what she was referring to.

“I...suppose I wasn’t exactly fond of books as a child.”

In fact, he hadn’t been at all interested in reading until he’d been adopted. TV and toys were band from their household so the only thing V had as entertainment was books. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, V fell head over heals in love with poetry (specifically William Blake) and it had led him into a job he adored. It seemed so bizarre to think that as a child he’d viewed books as the bane of his life, when nowadays he was hardly ever seen without one in hand. 

“Here we are!” Kyrie announced as they entered the back-room and V suddenly felt himself freeze up as he saw the large group of people occupying it. “You guys remember V, right?” 

As soon as Kyrie had said that, V felt himself being almost dragged around to shake hands and greet what felt like hundreds of people he vaguely remembered as his childhood friends. They all looked so different now, the dorky kids he’d once lived with were now successful young adults with lives and kids of their own. The whole situation was making V feel quite dizzy and overall he was beginning to regret his decision of ever coming-

“V? Jesus Christ.... you’ve certainly grown up...”

Turning, V came face to face with a young man who, although ashamed to admit it, V could only describe as insanely attractive. He was around the same height as V but his proud posture and well built physic made him appear taller. His face was handsome and well defined, but still held a slight boyish, arrogant, charm to it. The bright blue of his eyes rivalled the ocean out back and contrasted well with the silver tone of his short spiky hair. 

Before he could utter a word, V felt his hand grasped into a firm handshake and-  _wow his arms are incredible_ \- pulled in close till their faces were only inches apart. 

The stranger smirked, his eyes glinting mischievously (in a way that made V’s face feel rather hot) as he stated rather bluntly. “You used to call me ‘melon head’.”

V practically choked. “N-Nero?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah so...V might have been a bit of a bully as a kid 😬  
> Hope you enjoyed the chapter will update again soon ☺️


	3. Chapter 3

V could hardly believe his eyes...this? 

_This_ was Nero?! 

This was the snotty nosed, chubby midget with the round melon shaped head?! 

Not possible. 

There was no way in Hell this was  _that_ Nero!

“Jeez don’t have to look so shocked...” Nero chuckled as he gave V a rather hearty pat on the back that shook V like a he was made of jelly. “I didn’t change that much did I?” 

“ _Yes_ _,_ ” V thought, still too gobsmacked to actually speak. “ _Yes, you did._ ”

“Are you kidding me? You were such an ugly dork!” Barked a girl with a heavy southern accent that V didn’t recognise (though right now he was beginning to doubt his own memory). 

“Well I’m not a ‘dork’ anymore!” Nero said smugly, turning towards the girl. “Unlike you, who is sadly, still a dork!”

“Ha! You wish that were true! I am light years above you in awesomeness!” The girl clapped back confidently. 

“V,” Kyrie cut in, gently getting the laters attention by linking her arm with his. “This is Nico, she joined the care home a little while after you left.”

Upon hearing her name, Nico turned her attention towards them and honestly, V felt rather intimidated. Nico oozed confidence; she had an aura of _“_ _I don’t give a damn_ _”_ about her. Her skin was sun kissed with tiny freckles dotted across her face and her dark hair was curly and larger than life, which V had a feeling contrasted well with her big personality. 

“Ha! So this is the famous _‘_ _V_ _’_ whose room I got?” Nico enquired, eyeing the other up and down from behind her glasses, before extending a hand sharply. “Names Nicoletta Goldstein, but folks only call me that if they’re nasty, so call me Nico.” 

V excepted her handshake. “Pleasure to meet you, Nico.”

“Likewise.” The girl stated firmly. “Nice ink by the way.” 

V had hardly thanked her before she turned away to march back into the heavy bustle of the room. 

It was then that it occurred to him that Kyrie had said that Nico had arrived at the care home after he’d left leaving V to wonder how Kyrie knew that if she had still been in foster care? Cause, there was the possibility that Kyrie had continued to visit the care home even though he was no longer present, but V had an itching hunch that that wasn’t it.

“How do you know Nico?” He asked. “Is she a mutual friend or....?”

“Huh? Oh em...” Kyrie droned off, now looking rather sad and uncomfortable. “... Credo had a difficult time settling in with our foster family so we went back to the care home...” 

Nodding in acknowledgment, V decided it best to drop that topic of conversation. It was clear Kyrie didn’t want to talk about it and V didn’t want to make her uncomfortable or distressed. Still, he wasn’t surprised that Credo had been the reason. 

The boy had always liked having full control and wouldn’t let just anyone ‘boss’ him around. It must have been difficult for him to adjust to no longer being the authoritative, parental, figure for Kyrie. He had pretty much taken on the role of being her parent in the care home and V could only imagine how often he clashed heads with his foster parents with petty arguments such as _“_ _Kyrie doesn’t like apples, she always has pears!_ _”_ Or _“_ _Kyrie doesn’t like dresses and she certainly wouldn’t wear one in pink!_ _”_. 

“Just as well you came back, Kyrie!” Chimed in Nero, suddenly appearing to sling his arm around her shoulders and pull her in close. “Gave us the chance to get to know each other better...” he said with a purr that made Kyrie blush and giggle an embarrassed “ _Nero!_ ”. 

Ah yes.... now V remembered why he disliked Nero. 

Nero had arrived at the care home when they were all around the age of seven. From what V had heard, Nero’s mother had passed away and his biological father had refused to take custody. His uncle, who often visited, was attempting to gain custody but was struggling due to his unreliable nature and rather lax parenting methods. 

From the moment Nero had stepped through the door, V had taken an instant disliking to him. 

As a child, Nero held a strong resemblance to that of Piggy from the book: “ Lord of the Flies _”._ He was short and chubby with glasses too small for his big, round, head (which is how V came up with the nickname ‘ melon-head ’). Along with an ugly appearance, he had the most annoying personality  ever . He’d always follow V and Kyrie around like a lost puppy, trying to involve himself in their games and his obvious crush for Kyrie just made V want to throw up. 

_“Kyrie! Look what I can do!”_

_“Kyrie! Come play with me!”_

_“Kyrie! Be my partner!”_

_“Kyrie”, “Kyrie”, “Kyrie”, “Kyrie”_ \- UGH! So annoying! 

V often used the game ‘hide and seek’ as a way of getting rid of him. 

_ “ You go hide, Nero! _ _”_ He’d say, with a fake smile on his face as Kyrie would giggle hysterically behind him. _“_ _ And we’ll count. But remember; don’t come out until we find you! ” _

He still remembered how the boy would beam in excitement as he ran off to find a hiding place. They did that trick a total of five times before the care worker caught on and punished them with no TV for a week. After that, V resorted to name calling (‘melon-head’ being a favourite), throwing various items or would even get physical by pushing and shoving him away. There was even an incident where V had pushed Nero so hard that the boys glasses had flown clean off his face and smashed as they hit the ground (the punishment for that was no pocket money  and  TV for three weeks). It was after that incident that V had to start threatening Nero that if he told the care workers, V would cut up the boys teddy bears. 

_“Noooo!” Nero had cried, a large amount of tears and snot running down his chubby face, as he tried to take his bear back. “Don’t hurt Mr Tibbles!”_

_V roughly shoved Nero away causing the shorter boy to fall clumsily back onto his arse. “Well I won’t have to hurt Mr Tibbles if you promise to keep your gob shut.”_ _He’d hissed, holding the teddy bear by its head with a pair of scissors at its throat._

_“I won’t! I won’t! I promise I won’t!” Nero begged. “Just please don’t hurt him!”_

_Laughing cruelly at the other boys distress, V chucked ‘Mr Tibbles’ back at Nero who promptly scooped the bear up and hugged it tightly._

“ _I’m warning you, melon head.” V whispered with a menacing smirk that made the other boy gasp in fear. “If you you say anything, ANYTHING, you can say ‘bye bye’ to Mr Tibbles.”_

_He thrusted his scissors towards Nero, chuckling as the other jerked back in fright, before leaning in close to mockingly ask. “Are we clear?”_

Yeah...he wasn’t proud of that.

Obviously, V wouldn’t try that kind of thing now.... especially since Nero had grown up to be three times the size of him. V knew it was likely Nero was still that dumb little squirt from the care home, but he wanted to leave the reunion with all his teeth intact. 

Besides, they were all adults now. They could put aside their differences and act towards one another in a sensible, civil manner-

“-Later we should play hide and seek for old times sake!” Said Nero loudly, as he turned to give V a smug smirk and a knowing wink. “Wouldn’t you agree, V? This time though, why don’t you hide and I count?” 

“ _I’m gonna kill him._ ” V fumed, silently. 


	4. Chapter 4

“You seriously don’t remember?!” 

“No!” Kyrie insisted. “I don’t remember that!”

“How could you not remember that?!” Nico asked in shock, all the while laughing hysterically. “You literally stood on top of the kitchen table and started hip thrusting! It was so fucking funny I almost pissed myself!”

“I did not!” Kyrie squealed in embarrassment as she hid her bright red face behind her hands. 

It was now evening time and Kyrie had taken the group to a nice restaurant a few blocks down from the beach house. Everyone was now about two glasses of wine into their meal and had started sharing embarrassing stories about things they had done as kids. 

V, however, kept his attention purely on his meal. He knew he should be getting involved and conversing, but he just couldn’t! The loud atmosphere and cramped space was making V feel so claustrophobic and uncomfortable that he could barely breath or think straight. At this rate he was actually considering leaving early with the excuse that he was feeling slightly unwell (not a complete lie as he did feel like he was on the verge of having a panic attack).

It also didn’t help that every time he looked up he’d catch Nero blatantly staring at him. What was worse was that instead of Nero doing the socially appropriate thing of looking away and pretending he wasn’t staring, he’d just grin wider before shooting V a knowing wink that made the later want to throw up. 

V actually missed how Nero used to be when they were kids; sure he was still annoying but he was far less arrogant back then than he was now.

It had also made V feel rather uncomfortable to know that Nero and Kyrie had grown into close friends and, from what he could gather, had dated sometime during their teenage years. It appeared they’d broken up due to Nero wanting to go work in Red Grave city as his uncles business partner (who owned a rather popular nightclub that even V, who wasn’t particularly one for clubbing, had heard of), while Kyrie had decided to stay in Fortuna. The break up hadn’t caused any ill feelings between the two and it appeared they were still in heavy contact with one another.

In fact... everyone in the group appeared to have been in contact with each other prior to this reunion. 

Which meant that V was the one out of the loop. 

Knowing that made him feel extremely self conscious and paranoid as to why he’d even been invited in the first place! He’d really only been friends with Kyrie at the care home and it was peculiar to him that she’d suddenly decide to invite him along to a reunion with others whom she was clearly closer to. 

It just didn’t make any sense.

“Kyrie!” 

Snapping out of his thoughts, V looked up just in time to see Kyrie’s older brother, Credo, approaching. He didn’t even have to look twice to know that it was Credo; the way he carried himself, the stern look, the harsh, authoritative tone of his voice- he hadn’t changed one bit. In fact, the only difference between this Credo and child Credo was that this one had a goatee (a very strange choice in facial hair). 

Kyrie gasped in excitement as she leapt up to embrace her older sibling. “Credo! You got off work early! Oh, I’m so glad you could make it!” 

She quickly ushered him into a seat as he greeted everyone before smoothly calling over a waiter. “Just a gin and tonic, thank you.” 

Kyrie gave him a look. “Just a gin and tonic? Credo...”

“I had a big lunch, Kyrie.” Credo shrugged. “Besides you know how much I hate the food here. I can just about trust them to get my drink order right.”

Suddenly, Nero let out a bark of laughter, attracted the entire table and a disapproving glare from Credo. 

“Same ol’ Credo...” Nero tutted, with a shake of his head. “You haven’t changed one bit.”

Credo merely scoffed, completely ignoring the other as he turned his attention back to Kyrie. There was clearly tension between the two males and V couldn’t say he was surprised. Nero had dated Credo’s precious baby sister after all, plus they didn’t exactly have compatible personalities. With Credo being so straight laced and Nero being such a punk, V could only imagine how many times the two had butted heads. 

With the conversation picking back up, V returned to picking at his food; in his opinion the food was rather good. He couldn’t understand Credo’s refusal to eat here, though really anything that wasn’t a supermarket ready meal tasted divine to him. 

“Well I never....” V heard Credo say. Curious he looked up to find Credo and the rest of the tables attention now focused on him. “Vitale isn’t it?”

_ Crap . _

“...yes, it is.” V said unsurely, confused as to why he was now suddenly the centre of attention.

Credo looked mildly amused by his response, turning to address his sister besides him. “Kyrie you didn’t say you’d invited Vitale?” 

“I didn’t know I had to be specific?” Kyrie giggled in confusion. “ I said I was inviting my old friends from the care home?”

“Exactly. You said you were inviting friends.” 

The table fell silent. Even Nero who’d been grinning through the whole ordeal suddenly became stiff and his smile quickly vanished. 

For at least thirty seconds V felt the world grind to a halt. The restaurant became horrifically silent and all V could now hear was the thunderously loud pounding of his heart. 

What did Credo mean by that?

“W-what?” He asked quietly, his face twisted into a confused frown. “What do you mean by that?”

“I’m sorry I was talking to my sister-“

“And I’m talking to you.”

Credo blinked, for close to a second shocked that V had just raised his voice at him, though he soon regained his authoritative composure. “I was merely addressing the fact that you and Kyrie are hardly what I would consider... ’ _friends_ ’. ” He said with a shrug. “When exactly was the last time you spoke to each other?”

“Credo-“ Kyrie whispered, attempting to avert her brothers attention. 

“I mean let’s face it; after we were fostered you didn’t exactly make much of an effort to stay in contact with her. Always waiting for her to call or visit you rather than contacting her yourself. Plus don’t think I’ve forgotten the fact that you didn’t even tell her you were being adopted!” He scoffed. 

V’s eyes narrowed. “I was nine and in a care home. I didn’t exactly have phone privileges or the authority to invite people over whenever I wanted.”

“What’s your excuse for not telling Kyrie you were going to be adopted then, hm?” Credo probed. “Did it just  ‘ _slip your mind_ ’ ? I understand... nine year olds are known for their terrible memories-“

“Credo  _stop_! ” Kyrie begged. “That was years ago! Let’s just forget about it-“

“Do you know how devastated Kyrie was when we returned back to the care home to find out you were gone?” Credo continued. “She cried for days afterwards. She couldn’t understand why you hadn’t told her or even done the decent thing of leaving your new phone number with the care workers to give to Kyrie! Like seriously, would that have been so fucking hard-?”

“ _ Credo _ .”

Everyone’s eyes snapped towards Nero as he spoke up, including V. 

“Like Kyrie said,” Nero stated calmly. “That was years ago. Kyrie’s over it and moved on. Besides even if she wasn’t, she’s old enough to fight her own battles.”

Again, silence befell the group and a strong tension grew amongst them. Credo was frozen mid sentence, his attention fixated completely on Nero. His face was an intense mixture of shock and anger as it began to turn a furious shade of tomato red. He looked to be on the verge of snapping when V decided to speak up.

“Kyrie,” he said calmly, gaining the distressed girls attention. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the adoption... I didn’t tell you because, honestly, I didn’t want to go through with it.” 

Kyrie’s eyes widened slightly at the confession, her mouth forming a gentle ‘o’ shape as her expression became soft. She looked as though she was about to tell him that he needn’t explain yet V continued. 

“I never wanted to be adopted. And if I had known back then what my adopted parents were really like, I definitely wouldn’t have gone through with it. But-“ V took a moment to gather himself. “But I didn’t think you were coming back. Every time you came to visit or you called you would talk about how much fun you were having and how your foster parents would take you on these great outings or buy you all this nice stuff and I-.....I got jealous.” 

He sighed. “So when the opportunity to get adopted presented itself, I took it. And,  _ Credo _ , you’ll be happy to hear that I regret my decision, greatly. My ‘ _ parents _ ’, if you can even call them that, are uncompromising, oppressive, fascists who’ve managed to over work me and my adopted siblings to the point where we feel nothing but vacuity. So-“ he raised his glass sarcastically. “Cheers to that!” 

V downed his drink before slamming it back down onto the table. He was surprised it didn’t break under the force but that was the least of his worries, especially since he’d caused the mood at the table to just become ten times more awkward than it had been a few minutes ago-

“I’ll drink to that, cheers!” 

V blinked in shock as he watched Nero raise his glass before downing it also. Then the rest of the table (minus Credo) followed suite, laughing and jeering as they each downed their drinks all whilst chiming in with phases like “ _fuck parents_! ” or “ _we get to choose our family_! ”. V was even surprised when he received hearty pats on the back by members of the group and even some high fives. 

Credo said nothing, fuming quietly as he sipped his gin and tonic quietly in his seat. With a teary eyed, warm smile Kyrie quickly rushed over to give V a big hug (which he awkwardly accepted) whilst telling him how grateful and happy she was to see him again and that he had nothing to apologise for.

But V’s attention was elsewhere. He couldn’t help but watch Nero out the corner of his eye, who was still staring at him from across the table. This time though, when V looked towards him Nero didn’t smirk or wink, he just stared back with an unreadable expression, seemingly lost in thought. 

Though what he was thinking about, V couldn’t say. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter up~!   
> Some serious Nero and V interaction coming up in the next chapter 😁


	5. Chapter 5

By the time they all left the restaurant the streets were empty and illuminated only by a few street lights that lit the area in a calm orange glow. All was quiet except for the sounds of the waves crashing onto the bank and the drunken group as they stumbled their way back towards the beach house. Trailing behind slightly, V followed in silent. He was glad that his and Credo’s spat during dinner hadn’t dampened the mood but he couldn’t quite shake the feeling of humiliation just yet.

Luckily, Credo had left after he’d finished his gin, shooting a look of disgust towards V as he walked out the door. Honestly, he hadn’t expected Credo to put him on the spot like that, if anything V had expected Nero to. 

But instead, Nero had defended him...

He still couldn’t understand why the other man had interfered, especially when V had been so cruel to him as children. The moment had been replaying continuously in V’s mind since it’d happened and still V couldn’t work out why Nero had stepped in. Perhaps it was due to the fact Kyrie was distressed? Kyrie and Nero were clearly still very close since breaking up, and obviously there was tension between him and Credo so it made sense for him to have stepped in for her. Yet....V just felt that wasn’t it. He didn’t even believe Nero had stepped in with the intent to use it against him in the future. No. There was something else....something he couldn’t quite grasp....

He stumbled slightly on the pavement, silently regretting having consumed such a hearty amount of alcohol. V didn’t have much drinking experience: his parents were very against alcohol and at university V had been quite the recluse, preferring to spend his time alone studying. His first drinking experience had been just after his graduation when he’d been invited to a house party (though he was only invited because the whole of the course had gotten an invitation). 

In fact, it was at that party that he’d had his first sexual experience, with both a boy and a girl. V knew nothing about the two, he’d not asked for their names and their faces were nothing but blurry shapes in his memory. If he remembered correctly it had been the girl who’d initiated the kiss between them, pinning him against the wall and shoving her tongue down his throat before racing off, giggling down the corridor to kiss a couple other boys in a drunken haze. 

It wasn’t a great first kiss, but it had given V the courage (as did the alcohol) to go up to a guy, who was stood in the backyard, to give him a kiss. That kiss had gone further than V had intended it to: one minute he was making out with the man, the next he was on his hands and knees in the dirt behind a hedge with the guy taking him from behind. 

V couldn’t quite remember all the details, like what the guy looked like or his name and the sex had been....well he couldn’t quite remember. The guy had been kind at least, not forceful from what V recalled, and if V hadn’t been so gone by that point maybe he would have enjoyed the sex more. 

He went to a few more parties after that over the years and each time he’d hooked up with some guy. Sometimes the sex was good, other times it was rather poor, but V loved the adrenaline rush he always got from it. He loved the spontaneity of going up to a man with the intention of getting laid. It was usually so out of character for him to do something so reckless and V felt himself grow addicted to it.

Of course, as he got older, he got invited to less house parties and the allure of drinking and fucking strangers soon lost its appeal. 

Which left him where he was today; old, miserable and rather lonely.

So wrapped up in his thoughts V hadn’t even noticed Nero start to trail behind the group also, his walking pace slowing till they were side by side. V glanced up at him, curiously, catching the other looking at him with frown. 

“You alright?” Nero asked in a way that made V laugh unexpectedly. 

It was said in a way that reminded V of his older adopted brother; whenever one of V’s sisters was in obvious distress his brother would ask them if they were alright in a tone of voice that said “ _I’m genuinely worried about you but I’m also a man and crying women make me uncomfortable so just say your fine so I can go on with my day without worrying about you_.”

“ _Am I alright_ ?” V repeated with a chuckle, clicking his tongue in thought. “Why wouldn’t I be alright?” 

He heard Nero grumble as he shrugged awkwardly. “Just because of what Credo said...”

“Oh that!” V exclaimed dramatically. “Gosh! I almost forgot about that!”

The other rolled his eyes. “Don’t have to be sarcastic with me, I was just asking a question...”

“And why do you care?” V scoffed, his pace slowing to a halt as he gave Nero a challenging look. 

Nero frowned in confusion as he also stopped walking, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared back in a challenging manner. “Why wouldn’t I care?”

“Do you?”

“Do I what?”

“Care?”

“Do you want me to want to care?”

“No!” V spat defensively.

“Sounds like you do...” Nero chuckled. 

“Well I don’t!” V insisted as he started to walk away quickly. 

He only managed to walk a few paces away when he heard Nero burst into a fit of laughter. “What?” He spat, spinning around to see Nero doubled in on himself.  Nero shook his head, managing only a small “ _nothing_ ” in between his laughter.

Annoyed, V turned on his heel to continue walking only to whip back around when hearing Nero let out another huge wave of laughing. 

“What is so funny?!” V groaned, suppressing the need to clobber the other around the head.

Wiping the tears from his eyes, Nero’s hysterics died down to a measly snicker as he smoothly made his way over to V to clasp him on the shoulder. “Nothing...” he chuckled. “It’s nothing....it’s just that...you’ve changed.”

V felt his jaw drop upon hearing that, feeling Nero give his shoulder one more pat before the other man continued past him. “I-I- _What_?!” V choked, throughly offended. “I did not change!”

Nero shrugged, continuing to walk back towards the beach house. “Yes you have!” He scoffed, glancing back round to offer V a smug grin that made the later want to wipe it straight off his stupid face. “I mean, come on! You used to be fucking fearless as a kid! Even the teenagers at the care home were scared of you.” Nero stated in a matter of fact like tone. “You were kinda like the omen....Now though....well...” he hummed in thought. “Now you’re kinda just....sad...and short.”

“ _Wha_ -?!” V jogged to catch up with him. “I am not short! We’re the same height!”

“Meh....” Nero gave him a uncertain expression before holding up his forefinger and thumb so that they were only inches apart. 

V rolled his eyes. “So you’re a few inches taller! That doesn’t make me short!” 

“Doesn’t make you any taller though, does it?” Nero fired back with a shrug. “You’re also kinda dull now...like you used to be cool! And fun! Now though... like what are you now....a teacher?”

“I’m a professor.” V snarled. 

“So a glorified teacher!” 

“‘Glorified professor’- what?!” V fumed, clenching his fists. “Do you even know what a PHD is?!”

The other hummed for a second before jokingly replying. “A piece of paper that says ‘PHD’?” 

Anger boiled within V upon hearing that, he was usually so composed but to have the audacity to call a PHD just a piece of paper? Who the Hell does think he is?! “Well at least I’m not a glorified bartender.” He shot back, releasing a short breath.

Nero placed his hand over his heart and gave him a fake, hurt, look. “Glorified DJ actually. Besides what’s that got to do with the fact that you’re a boring teacher?”

“I’m not boring!”

“You’re teaching English. Trust me; you’re boring.” He winked cheekily and V literally held himself back from punching him. “You’re also like, a huge scaredy-cat now...” Nero reflected. “You used to be terrifying but now....you’re just terrified...”

“I’m not-“

Before he could finish his sentence, V found himself pushed up against the nearest wall. One of Nero’s hands on his neck as his other arm pinned him in place. V sucked in a breath, paralysed with fear as he stared wide eyed at the other. 

He was unable to speak; the connection between his brain and body now lost. He wanted to run, scream- anything! And yet all he could do was cower under Nero’s unwavering and predatory blue gaze. 

Blue eyes sized him up slowly. “You’re trembling...” Nero whispered, his voice low enough for only V to hear. 

V gulped, mentally cursing himself for the fact that Nero was right. 

He was scared. 

Glancing to the left, V noticed that the group they’d been trailing behind were now out of ear shot, leaving him completely alone with Nero. 

Fuck. 

“N-Nero-“ he whimpered. He hadn’tmeant for his voice to sound so weak and pitiful but he couldn’t help it. He was genuinely scared. It wouldn’t take Nero much to snap him in half like a toothpick and in that moment, V thought he actually would. 

V was shocked when, after what felt like hours, Nero pulled away, his facial expression turning into one of disgust.

“Really?” He sneered. “‘ _N-Nero_ ’? That’s  all you can say?”

V blinked at him in bewilderment, what else was he supposed to say? 

Nero shook his head in disappointment. “The old V would have fought back.”

Anger flared within V upon hearing that. What was this, some kind of test? Yes, if they were kids again, V would have probably kicked his ass but only because back then Nero had been about two heads shorter than him! He could easily have taken Nero back then but not today, not when V was as scrawny as a lamp post and Nero the size of a small mountain. 

“The ‘old V’ was just a child.” He sneered. “He would have fought back because he didn’t care about the consequences, but guess what? Children grow up! They learn! They change!” He released a short breath. “People change...” V murmured, rubbing the back of his head where it had collided with the wall. 

“I didn’t change.” Nero stated simply, with a shrug. 

V rolled his eyes. “Yes you have. For starters you weren’t the poster boy for steroids like you are now.”

That made Nero laugh. “You think I take steroids?”

“You certainly look like you do.”

“I can assure you that this-“ he gestured towards his body. “- is all natural. Besides; I might have changed physically but I’m still the same kid you used to pick on.”

Well, that V could agree with. He was still a prick. 

“You on the other hand-“ Nero continued. “-have completely changed.”

“I grew up.” V growled, wanting nothing more than to go back to the beach house to rest and try and just forget about the whole night. 

Nero grew quiet, seemingly lost in thought as he glanced behind him to look out towards the sea, before letting out a small ‘hm’. Turning back to V, Nero gave the other a playful yet menacing smirk that filled V with utter dread. 

“Let’s skinny dip.” 

V blinked. “....what?”

“Come on!” Nero was already making his way towards the sea, stripping off on the beach as he went (and V was thankful that it was a dark night). 

At first, V stayed put, contemplating running back to the beach house whilst his attacker wasn’t looking. Though, for some reason, he found himself making his way over to the waters edge to stand and watch Nero as the other splashed around carelessly. He could just about see him due to the moonlight as it reflected off the waters surface and danced across the muscular contours of Nero’s body-

No. 

No enough of that.

Shaking himself from his embarrassing thoughts, V decided it would be best for him to return to the beach house. Turning on his heel, V only took around three steps before Nero called after him.

“Chickening out I see?”

V spun back around to see Nero had stopped swimming to address him, that vexing smirk still present on his face and, oh, how V wanted nothing more than to wipe it clean off. 

“No.” He said stubbornly. “...I just... it’s too cold to go swimming.” 

Nero shrugged. “The water seems fine to me. But, hey! If your too much of a princess...”

V’s eyes narrowed dangerously towards the other. 

Princess? 

Him? 

Ha! 

How dare Nero even suggest such a thing! He’ll show him whose a princess...

Tearing off his clothes, V quickly wove his way into sea, trying his best to ignore how terribly cold the water was. He continued to walk till he stood right in front of Nero, the water just barely reaching past his hips. Unlike Nero, V refused to dip down so that his body would become fully submerged in the water, not quite ready for his shoulders to get wet. He was already cold enough and had wrapped his arms around himself to try and keep his shivering to a minimum. 

Nero slowly stood, taking a step forward so that him and V were only a few feet apart, his eyes glued onto V’s shivering form. V quickly averted his eyes, the sight of Nero’s bare wet chest making him rather uncomfortable. He could feel his face burning up the longer he looked at it. 

“Are you cold?” He asked.

V shrugged, a rather aggressive shudder suddenly racking through his body. “N-no...” he murmured, trying his hardest to look elsewhere as Nero came closer. 

“You’re shivering.” Nero observed. 

V gave him a look. “Well I did say it was too cold- Mm!”

Before he could say another word, Nero’s lips pressed against his own as he felt himself pulled flush against that strong chest by his waist. Shock washed over V as he felt Nero gently nip at his bottom lip, asking him to open up, yet V was too dumbfounded to respond, especially since alarm bells were going off in his head after he felt something long and hard digging into his hip. 

Noticing V’s lack of participation, Nero pulled away, a mixture of hurt and worry in his expression. 

“V...?” He asked apprehensively.

Still recovering from shock, V didn’t react upon hearing his name. Instead he continued to stare back at Nero with an expression that resembled a rabbit caught in headlights. 

He should say something.

He had to say something.

He had to say  _something_ , right?

“..... I have to go.” 

Before Nero could fully grasp what he’d said, V had managed to pull himself from the others tight hold and was now taking long, hasty, strides back (running not being an option due to them being in water) towards the beach. He could hear Nero calling out for him to wait as movement in the water signalled that the other was chasing after him. 

He’d barely made it back onto shore when Nero’s hand suddenly grasped his wrist, the later again pleading with him to ‘wait’. 

Panicking, V to struggled against his hold. “Nero, let go-!”

“Let me explain, please!” Nero begged. 

V manically shook his head, continuing to struggle against Nero’s hold. “No-!” He cried. “I- I don’t want- I just-“

“Please, Vitale, I didn’t mean to upset you or make you uncomfortable in anyway-“

“You are making me uncomfortable so just let go!” 

Nero hesitated for a moment before releasing V’s wrist, before cautiously taking a step back. 

For what felt like decades they both just stood in dead silence, staring at each other with uncertainty. When V finally broke their eye contact, he glanced down at his wrist, expecting to see bruises from where Nero had gripped so hard. 

But alas, there was none. 

Perhaps V had only imagined Nero’s strong grip?

...or perhaps he was just weak.

“.... I’m not scared.” He croaked, his voice cracking slightly as he looked back up towards the other.

“I know...” Nero whispered back.

“And I’m not boring.”

“I know.”

“And I don’t appreciate you manhandling me.”

“I know.”

“And I.... I don’t like that you just kissed me without my consent.”

“I know.”

V paused. “It’s rude.”

Nero nodded in agreement. “I know.”

“So don’t do it again.”

“Ok.” 

V released the breath he’d been holding in, worrying his bottom lip as he eyed Nero suspiciously. The other looked genuine; no smirk, no mischievous glint in his eyes... just genuinely anxious. 

V felt himself grow frustrated. He just couldn’t figure Nero out! Earlier today, Nero had acted like he hated V’s guts, then he’d defended him at dinner, then insulted (and assaulted) him on the way home and now he’d just kissed him! Why?! Was this a trick? Was this Nero’s strange and confusing way of getting back at him for all the things he’d done to him at the care home? 

“Why did you kiss me?” He asked sharply.

Nero shrugged. “Because I wanted to.” 

“I’m serious...” V growled in frustration.

“And I am too.” Nero stated firmly with another lazy shrug of his shoulders. “I guess-“ he groaned in annoyance. “I guess I’ve always... kinda had a thing for you...”

V scoffed. “Yeah right-“

“I mean it!” Nero insisted. “I was desperate for your attention as a kid!” 

V gave him an unconvinced look, prompting Nero to continue. “You were (and still are) insanely attractive, clever, mysterious and I wanted nothing more than to be your friend! So much so that I let you do all that mad crap to me; like hide and seek or when you broke my glasses- I don’t know! It just made me want you more!”

V rolled his eyes. “That’s a lie! We all know you put up with my bullshit because you wanted Kyrie-!” 

“Well yeah! I also liked Kyrie, who wouldn’t? She’s kind, beautiful but-“ Nero released a short breath. “But that was just a childhood crush. As nice as she is- she doesn’t- interest me... you interested me. I didn’t get why you hated me so much! And the more I wondered why you treated me like crap the more it just made me want your approval! I would have walked on my hands and knees through shards of glass for you!”

V’s face turned to one of disgust, prompting Nero to add in a small voice, “I mean- I wouldn’t.... not literally anyway...”

“Ughhhh! Can you not hear yourself?!” V groaned loudly in annoyance. “You don’t even know me!- And I know nothing about you!”

“I know, I know!” Nero exclaimed. “I know how crazy this all sounds-!”

“Do you?! Do you _really_?!”

“Yes I do!”

“Christ’s sake, Nero! This is insane! You can’t just- kiss me then confess your feelings for me when we don’t even know each other!” 

“Well, yeah! Ok! I got that! And yeah we don’t know each other very well-!”

“-At _ALL_! We don’t know each other at _ALL_!” V corrected.

Nero gave him a look. “...we know each other a little.”

“Ugh!” V growled out in frustration, turning to stomp his way back to the beach house, Nero hot on his heels. 

“Why are you so angry?!” Nero groaned. “It’s not like I said ‘I love you’-“

V spun around, his index finger pointed sternly at Nero as he gave him a fixed look. “Don’t you dare!”

“I wasn’t gonna say it!” Nero insisted, holding his hands up defensively. 

Satisfied, V again started to make his way back up the beach, the soft sand slipping under his feet every now and then making his trek difficult. 

“V-“ Nero called after him, jogging to keep up. “V!- V- will you just stop-!”

V spun around. “No!” He snarled. “No I will not ‘stop’! We are not talking about this! You don’t even know if I’m gay-!”

“But you are gay, aren’t you?”

“Yes...” V admitted sourly. “But that’s besides the point-!”

“All I’m saying is that I like you!” Nero declared. “I apologise for kissing you and coming on to you like that, it was- well it was actually really creepy of me so- yeah! That’s on me! But... I do like you.”

V found that hard to believe, especially after Nero had given him that long speech about how much he’d changed personality wise. How could Nero still like him if he was apparently a completely different person now? 

“How can you like me?” He asked in confusion. “You just said I was a completely different person now to how I was back then so how can you still like me?” 

Laughing nervously, Nero gave him an apologetic smile before speaking timidly. “Intuition I guess?”

V could only gape at that. Intuition? _Intuition_? Was he kidding?! That was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard! He was beginning to wonder if Nero was insane or just down right stupid! They knew nothing about each other! They hadn’t seen or spoken to one another in years and even as children they weren’t exactly close! Or perhaps this was Nero’s way of telling V that he was in fact a giant creep and had been stalking him for years. 

Nero sighed, reaching up to scratch the back of his head. “Look I know it sounds insane-“ V hummed in agreement. “-but it’s- it’s true... and if it’s any consolation; in some ways, you’ve changed for the better. Your not a cunt anymore so that’s an improvement!”

A small laugh escaped V. Well, he supposed he couldn’t argue with that. 

“Yeah you’re not as confident as you used to be-“ Nero continued. “But it sounds like you had a pretty rough time after the care home so... I guess that’s to be expected.”

Taking a few steps closer, Nero offered V a soft smile. “I’m sorry for upsetting you tonight... I just got a bit ahead of myself....”

V felt his face grow hot as Nero came to stand in front of him. Realisation hitting as he remembered how they were still both naked and he couldn’t stop himself in time before his eyes automatically looked Nero’s body up and down and- oh wow...

He was sure his face was a rather embarrassing shade of red as he tore his gaze away from Nero’s private’s to look him once again in the eye. Though by the way Nero was smirking at him he could tell that he’d been caught. 

“You never said but...” Nero hummed. “Did you like the kiss?”

“Wha-?!” V choked. “N-no-! No I-“

“Ah shame...” the other sighed dramatically. “Though maybe that was because I didn’t ask for your ‘consent’?” 

“W-well... yeah, I suppose you did take me by surprise...” V confessed with uncertainty. 

“So if I were to ask you if I could kiss you now,” Nero suggested playfully. “Would you say yes?” 

V gulped nervously as he felt his heart beat hard up against his chest. “I... don’t know...” he admitted, his voice beginning to tremble as Nero reached up to softly stroke his cheek. 

“Maybe if I asked you, you’d know for certain, hm?” He purred, his hand coming to rest lightly on V’s hips. 

V’s eyes almost fluttered closed as Nero’s thumb gently brushed against his bottom lip the sensation making V shiver with anticipation. He knew this was wrong- he knew he should be shoving Nero away and scolding him for being so handsy and familiar with him.   


It’s not like he was interested anyway! Yes, Nero was a very attractive young man with a charming (if not slightly annoying) personality and V certainly wasn’t going to deny that he was an obvious catch; especially with his witty attitude and reckless spontaneity that oozed bad boy. He even smelled dangerous; a musky mixture of booze and motor oil that intoxicated V every time he inhaled. It also certainly didn’t help that nothing was left to the imagination as Nero stood quite literally in the nude in front of him and V couldn’t help but fantasise about running his fingers over that damp, muscular body, feeling each firm muscle under that flawless skin as he travelled lower and lower- 

But being physically attracted to someone was not a good enough reason to fool around with them! V knew little to nothing about him and he couldn’t just fool around with someone he didn’t know- well... except he did once... maybe twice.... but still! 

“Well?” Nero’s voice brought V back to reality. “Can I kiss you?”

He should say no.

No, he will say no!

He’ll just say no!

He should say no...

No, he wants to say no! 

No!

No.

....no?

“Yes.” He breathed. “Yes you can kiss me.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> V scoffs  
> Nero rolls his eyes  
> V rolls his eyes  
> Nero scoffs  
> I don’t know what to tell ya, folks 🤷
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the chapter ☺️


	6. Chapter 6

V’s head was spinning with a thousand thoughts as he and Nero fell onto the sand, their lips still locked in a searing kiss. Nero’s toned arms were wrapped around his slim form, pulling him close till their bodies were pressed flushed.  


They moved against each other, passionate and needy, and V couldn’t help but release a whimper as Nero’s thigh brushed against his cock. He heard Nero groan at the low noise he’d made in the back of his throat before his breath hitched as Nero pressed his thigh more firmly against his length and he couldn’t prevent himself from bucking up against it in an attempt to get more friction. The action must have amused Nero as V felt him chuckling against his lips. “Someone’s eager...” 

Not appreciating the others teasing, V decided to give Nero a taste of his own medicine and bit down hard on his bottom lip, worrying and irritating the flesh till it was red and swollen. Nero gasped softly as V released the now inflamed lip, lapping over the wound with his tongue in a soothing manner. 

He yelped, however, as he felt Nero’s fingers weave their way into his hair, grasping onto it tightly before yanking his head back to expose his lean neck. A startled moan escaping him as he felt Nero sink his teeth into the junction between his shoulder and his neck, nipping and sucking at the flesh till a bruise began to form. He worked his way around V’s slender neck, ensuring to bite and suck every inch of it till he was satisfied it was well and truly marked.

When Nero was done torturing V’s neck, he moved down to his chest, kissing and nipping as he went, his tongue tracing the thick black swirls of V’s tattoos. Arriving at V’s nipples, Nero wasted no time in taking one of the perk, pink, buds into his mouth to suckle, whilst his hand pinched and teased the other. 

V could do nothing but grasp the back of the others head, biting his lip in a futile attempt to silence his moans. But, oh God, was Nero’s mouth utterly sinful! The stimulation was almost too much for him to bare; he’d never experienced anything like this. 

His first time had been a quickie behind a bush at a house party, there had been no need for fore play. Any other partners V had taken had been selfish and greedy, often rough (which V didn’t mind, everybody loved a bit of rough treatment from time to time, just not when it was painful) with no regards towards V’s own wants and needs. Nero’s tender treatment, though, was almost too much to bare and V could feel himself be drawn closer and closer to his release. 

Not wanting to orgasm yet, V bucked his hips to flip them round so that he was now on top. Straddling a now surprised Nero hips, V couldn’t help but smirk down at the other as he ground his ass down onto Nero’s hardness, both of them moaning at the pleasurable sensation it caused. 

Nero grasped V by the hips to control his movements, his hands moving lower to squeeze at the supple flesh of his ass as he leant up to yet again capture V’s lips into a bruising kiss. 

V yelped as Nero suddenly brought his hand down onto his backside. Before he could speak, three more slaps landed across his ass cheeks, a sting of pleasure going straight through him as he whimpered. V pulled away from the kiss to shoot a glare at Nero who was now grinning up at him naughtily. 

“That was uncalled for.” V growled, one of his hands moving to grasp Nero by his short hair whilst the other rested threateningly at the base of his neck. 

Nero only responded with another firm slap to his ass before capturing V’s parted lips once again, to swallow his moan. 

“Have you done this before?” Nero asked between kisses and V took a sharp intake of breath as he felt one of Nero’s fingers trace over his entrance. 

“I have...” he breathed. 

Nero kissed along his jaw, stopping to suck and nip at his earlobe briefly before laying a few quick kisses on his cheek.  


“And?”

“And...?”

“How was it?”

V shrugged nonchalantly, too busy enjoying the sensations Nero was currently causing him. “Fine...”

Nero chuckled at that, grasping V by the chin to look at him. “Just fine?”

“Usually quick.” V muttered, leaning forward to try and steal more kisses. 

Humming, Nero ran his hands over V’s body, stopping here and there to grope and massage where necessary. Bringing his hand back up he gently tapped his finger tips against V’s bottom lip. “Suck.”

V didn’t have to be told twice.

Taking the three digits into his mouth, V began to suckle, swirling his tongue over them to get them nice and wet. Nero hummed in appreciation, watching intently at how well V’s worked his mouth around the digits. 

Once satisfied that they were moist, Nero pulled his fingers from V’s mouth with a soft ‘pop’ before sensually moving them down V’s body towards his entrance. 

“You ready?” He asked, nuzzling his nose against V’s cheek gently.

V nodded his head, a shiver running through his body as he felt Nero’s finger prod at his hole. Bracing his hands on Nero’s chest, V released a low moan as a finger pushed past the tight ring of muscle, slowly slipping in further and further till it was knuckle deep. 

“God you’re tight...” Nero commented as he began to thrust his finger in and out. “Are you sure you’ve done this before?” 

V released a harsh breath as Nero added a second finger, scissoring and twisting them in an attempt to stretch him faster.

“Not- ah!- recently...” He groaned, tilting his head back, as he tried to ignore the slight sting of pain the action caused. He knew this step was necessary, though his past partners had never taken the initiative to do so. During those encounters, though, he’d been too drunk to care about the pain, forced onto his hands and knees and taken from behind like some animal. 

Suddenly, V was pulled from his thoughts as Nero’s fingers brushed up against a spot inside of him that made him automatically buck his hips, as a startled yelp escaped from his lips. Nero smirked at the reaction, purposefully aiming his fingers to thrust and rub against that spot till V was nothing but a withering mess.

“N-Nero... Ah!” V groaned through clenched teeth, his vision turning white every time those devilish fingers rubbed his prostate. “S-stop teasing...!”

Nero only chuckled darkly, adding a third finger and pressing down firmly against V’s prostate, yet again drawing another loud moan from him. V’s erection was now strained painfully against his stomach, dripping pre-come and aching for release. But, as good as Nero’s fingers were, they just weren’t enough! V needed more friction, craved the feeling of being filled to the brim and fucked hard! “Please- ah!- Nero!”

“What do you need?”

V groaned in annoyance, he wasn’t in the mood for games! “I need you now...”

Smirking, Nero tilted his head to one side to give V a fake bewildered look. “What was that? I didn’t quite catch what you just said...”

“Fuck- Nero!” V all but growled. “I need you to fuck me! Now!”

Laughing, Nero removed his fingers before flipping them over so that V was once again on his back in the sand. “As you wish, princess...”

“I’m not a- ah!”

V’s eyes flew open as he felt Nero practically impale him onto his large, thick, cock. 

So much for going slow then.

He’d barely recovered from the shock when Nero had already begun to move, pulling out so that only the tip remained before thrusting back in, hard. 

V’s screams were silent as he felt Nero pull out and thrust back in over and over again at a fast and unforgiving pace. He could feel Nero’s hands grasp the backs of his thighs, spreading them further apart so that he could thrust even deeper into V’s tight heat. It was painful, at first, but eventually the pain of penetration eased into that of a dull ache.

Nero must have angled his thrusts differently because suddenly V felt an insane amount of pleasure, as though electricity had just coursed through his veins, his back arching up as he released a gentle scream. As Nero again aimed for that spot inside of him, V became overwhelmed by the sensation. Moaning uncontrollably as Nero continued to thrust into his prostate. 

Reaching up, V grasped Nero’s face to pull him down to crash their lips together in a passionate kiss. Nero released a pleased groan as their tongues clashed and fought for dominance, slowing down his pace slightly so that they were longer and more controlled, ensuring V could feel every inch of his cock inside of him. 

“You feel so good...” V heard Nero murmur, and he felt himself blush as Nero continued to compliment him. 

His breath hitched as Nero’s hand clasped around his cock, pumping it in time with his thrusts and bringing him closer to the edge. 

“N-Nero-!” He gasped. “I’m close-! Ah-!”

Nero hushed him gently, rubbing his thumb over the tip of V’s cock and smearing pre-come across it. 

With a few more well angled thrusts V was finally brought over the edge, his body pulsating violently as he released all over his stomach. 

Lost in the afterglow, V vaguely felt Nero thrust a few more times before he too came, his warm seed flooding V’s insides. The sensation felt amazing and, if V wasn’t as spent as he was, he was sure he would have become hard once more. 

Panting, Nero pulled out slowly causing V to flinch as the cold air hit him. Uncharacteristically, he moved closer to Nero, snuggling up close to him (who was now lying besides him on the sand, also trying to regain his breath) and pressing his face into the crook of his neck in an attempt to stay warm. 

V felt Nero wrap his arms around his body, placing a gentle kiss on the top of his head. 

“You ok?” Nero asked, nuzzling his face into V’s black hair. 

V only hummed in response, nodding his head as he slowly removed himself from his hiding place in Nero’s neck to lie on his back, his eyes falling shut as he intended to rest for a few minutes. He tried to sync his breathing with the peaceful sounds of the waves crashing against the shore, the gentle sea breeze cooling down his skin as he felt himself relax.

“You’re so beautiful...” he heard Nero murmur. 

Raising an eyebrow, V opened his eyes to shoot Nero a look, the other merely grinning dumbly at him. V scoffed, rolling his eyes at him as he began to sit up, flinching slightly at the pain in his lower back. “Don’t be so cheesy...”

“It’s true though.” Nero teased, sitting up also to wrap his arms around V’s waist from behind and press a light kiss to the back of his neck. “So...how was it?”

V chuckled, hearing the slight hesitation in Nero’s voice. “Do I sense some apprehension, Nero?” He hummed, shooting Nero a smirk over his shoulder. “And here I thought you were the confident one...”

“And I mistook you for being a fearful little virgin...” Nero chuckled, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss to V’s lips. “Guess I was wrong.”

“What made you think I was a virgin?” V asked with a hint of amusement in his voice. 

Nero shrugged, pushing a loose strand of V’s hair behind his ear before caressing his cheek. “You just give off that kinda vibe I guess...plus you blush and look away every time you see my dick.”

“Ah-?! That’s just good manners!” V exclaimed. “Besides maybe you could use a lesson in basic social etiquette since you insist on exposing yourself to complete strangers...”

“A lesson, hm?” Nero purred, pressing his lips to the side of V’s neck as he gave it a quick kiss. “And would you be teaching this lesson, _Professor_?”

V laughed, turning fully around to seat himself on Nero’s lap, stroking a hand down the others chest as he smirked darkly at him. “Maybe...” he hummed. “Though I’ll warn you; my methods of teaching are rather...intense.”

“Are they?” Nero asked with a cheeky grin. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle that...”

V leaned in for a heated kiss, biting Nero’s bottom lip (still slightly swollen from when V had bit it earlier) seductively before releasing it. “Don’t worry...” he purred. “I’ll be _gentle_...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....what’s another good word for “cock”? XD


	7. Epilogue

“Three minutes late...” V tutted as he glanced down at his watch, shaking his head with disappointment as he returned to reading his book. He wasn’t even surprised at this point, it was now almost customary now for the other to arrive late to any of their dates. 

Since returning from the reunion in Fortuna, Nero and V had continued dating and had now been together for around a month and a half. It had been difficult at first, with their work schedules not always allowing them to spend nearly as much time with one another (Nero worked mostly at night through to early morning, whilst V worked long daytime hours teaching) but they’d eventually worked it out. 

After that night on the beach, they’d spent the rest of the weekend sneaking around into each other’s rooms or finding secluded locations to have a ‘quickie’ (though V didn’t quite understand what Nero meant by that as those times were never quick). It was a mutual decision that once they returned to Red Grave to continue seeing one another and so far things had been going pretty well between the pair. 

V wouldn’t say they were necessarily a couple, they were too casual for that. But he wouldn’t exactly classify them as friends either considering all they did was meet up to have sex. In all honesty, he didn’t know what they were, but like _Hell_ was he about to complain. 

He didn’t even bother looking up as he heard Nero approach the table he was sat at in the coffee shop. Deciding to remain poker faced as the others heavy steps got closer and closer.

“Phew!” Nero panted, a little red in the face as he flopped himself down onto the chair besides V. Raising his eyes briefly from his reading, V took in the others disheveled appearance, biting his lip in want as he noticed how low the neckline was on Nero’s navy jumper. “Right on time!” 

“Three minutes late actually.”

Nero scoffed. “That’s an improvement from last time...” He said as he rolled his eyes before leaning in for a kiss, only to end up with a book in his face. 

Pulling away, Nero raised an eyebrow in confusion at the fact that V had just used his book to essentially cock-block him. “What-?”

“You didn’t ask me for my permission to kiss me.” V stated simply, smirking behind his book. 

Nero gave him an amused look. “I take it you’re in charge tonight then, hm?” 

“I must create a system, or be enslaved by another man’s.” V quoted innocently, reaching to run his fingers lightly over Nero’s exposed collarbone. 

Taking V’s hand in his, Nero pressed a fond kiss on those long fingers and V was embarrassed to admit that he once again felt his cheeks flush (a common, and rather annoying, occurrence that V would experience every time Nero did something ‘romantic’). “I guess I wouldn’t mind letting you take the reigns tonight... would give me a night off for once.” Nero stated with a wink.

V merely hummed in response, leaning forward to press his lips to the side of Nero’s neck before mumbling against his skin. “Well your performance has been rather ’lacking’ lately... I thought you could use the rest.”

Growling in response, Nero grasped V by his hair and pulled him up to stare him in the eye. The action only caused V to smirk slyly, licking his lips slowly in a way that he knew turned Nero on. He mentally praised himself as he saw Nero’s blue eyes follow his tongues movements, the laters Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed with obvious want. 

“You’re treading on thin ice, V...” Nero warned, the dangerous tone in his voice sending a shiver through V’s body. 

V chuckled darkly. “Maybe I’ll let you take charge after all...”

“Well maybe we should head back to my place then and find out?” Nero purred, moving his hand under the table to cup V’s crotch through his trousers.

Humming in appreciation, V could only nod his head in response as he felt Nero pull him from his seat and out of the coffee shop. It was only when they were about halfway down the street that Nero suddenly stopped and turned to look at him. 

V blinked in confusion. “Nero what-?”

“Do I have permission to kiss you yet?” Nero asked, with a grin.

V burst out laughing, moving to wrap his arms around Nero’s neck as he moved in close. “Yes,” he chuckled. “You have permission to kiss me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may or may not have forgotten to upload the end for this fic 🤭 anyway that’s it for now! I might be leaving these two alone for a little while as I’m working on some fics for different fandoms atm but who knows I might get an idea for these two that I just have to write- but until then adios~!!!

**Author's Note:**

> Don’t mind me, just uploading a brand new AU after pretty much abandoning my other DMC Nero x V fic 🙃 this one won’t be getting abandoned tho as I’ve actually already finished it! Hurray~!!!!!!  
> Plus there’s been a slowing down of DMC AU’s lately so I figured I’d write something in an attempt to keep the fandom hype train going for just a smidge longer lol. Anyway hope you all like it 😅  
> (Also this has more than one chapter I just can’t work out the settings on this thing!)


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